The right playlist is essential for a long drive, but while you might just be tempted to play your favourite artist or song, have you taken into consideration how they might affect your driving?
The beat per minute (BPM) of a song has a direct influence on your focus and emotion, as it can effect your attention whilst you’re driving and your driving speed.
Motorhome and caravan experts Auto Finance have revealed 2024’s most popular driving song, and partnered with music expert Harrison Alley to reveal if they’re save to drive to based on the song’s BPM.
Harrison says: “Those high-energy songs that land anywhere between 120 and 200 BPM, can keep you alert while driving, but it can also make you feel like you’re on a racetrack.
“Then you’ve got the slower tunes—anything under 70 BPM. They’re great for unwinding after a long day, but maybe not the best choice for the road. It’s those songs that sit in the middle, around 70-100 BPM, that hit the spot.”
He continued: “These moderate tempos help keep you engaged without making you feel like you’re speeding or spacing out. The style of the music matters too. A laid-back 80 BPM track with a dreamy guitar might still cause your mind to drift, while something a little more dynamic with the same tempo could keep you focused and alert.”
What are the 10 most popular road trip songs of 2024?
- Mr Brightside, The Killers – 148 bpm
- Life is a Highway, Rascal Flatts – 103 bpm
- Hotel California, 2013 Remaster, Eagles – 147 bpm
- Bring Me To Life, Evanescence – 95 bpm
- Cruel Summer, Taylor Swift – 170 bpm
- Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars), Mark Ronson – 115 bpm
- BIRDS OF A FEATHER, Billie Eilish – 105 bpm
- Tennessee Whiskey, Christ Stapleton – 49 bpm
- Something in the Orange, Zach Bryan – 175 bpm
- Stick Season, Noah Kahan – 118 bpm
Many well-known artists such as The Killers, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish take high spots in the ranking, but there is also an electric mix of songs that make in into the top ten, with the BPM ranging from 49 to 175.
Expert Harrison explained that Life is a Highway is one of the better songs to drive too, saying: “Classic road trip song. At 103 BPM, it’s upbeat without pushing you to drive too fast. It’s perfect for those long stretches where you need steady energy but still want to stay focused.”
He also said Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift is a song to lo reconsidering when adding to your road trip playlist, mentioning: “At 170 BPM, this one’s a bit intense. It’ll keep you awake, but it might make you feel like you’re driving in a rush. Good for short bursts when you need to stay sharp, but balance it with slower tracks.”
How to stay safe when driving if you’re listening to music
Motoring expert Steve Noga at Auto Finance provide his advice on staying safe on the road whilst listening to music: “Music is an important part of driving. Many of us can spend a lot of time in our cars. Whether we’re frequently travelling for work or travelling to see family— or even embracing ‘motorhome life’ or ‘van life’, it can be easy to spend most of our days driving!
“However, it’s important to stay safe when we’re listening to music on the road. We always recommend keeping your music at a low volume. Not only can frequently listening to loud music affect your hearing, but it can also mask sounds around you, such as emergency vehicles.
“It’s not just the music itself that can distract you, but changing the songs can too – stick to a radio station you know you like or pick a playlist before you leave for your trip to avoid spending time trying to skip tracks while driving.”
“It’s important to consider if the music you’re listening to is safe to drive too; getting too relaxed or too excited can affect your focus on the road and be dangerous for yourself, others in the vehicle, and drivers on the road” he explained
“Always make sure you have appropriate insurance for your vehicle, in the unfortunate event you do get into an accident on the road.”
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